Did you know that... ?

 

Did you know that the American Vermont-based ice cream manufacturer Ben & Jerry's is owned since 2001 by the British-Dutch mega giant Unilever? Of course you didn’t. The brand never communicates about that ownership. 

Ben & Jerry’s, represented by the founders Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield over almost twenty years, has the image of a traditional company. Tasty flavors and funny names like Karamel Sutra, Chocolate Therapy, and Chunky Monkey but also sustainable, Fair Trade certified ingredients and organic suppliers are, from the beginning, key factors of the success of the brand. Far away from the image that we may have of a conglomerate such as Unilever. 

However, the British-Dutch company had well understood the strong potential of this premium brand that attracted a large number of loyal customers. Yvan Couette, the French-born brand new CEO of Ben & Jerry’s (at the time of the merger) was the first to figure out that the strength of the brand was deeply rooted in its values. That is why Ben & Jerry’s kept working with farmers from Vermont, invested for the local community, increased its donations. Through its philanthropy, Ben & Jerry’s wanted to spread the core values of the company: “economic and social justice, environmental restoration and peace through understanding, and to support our Vermont communities" and to show that, even after the Unilever acquisition, their values remained the same.

So, we could wonder why nobody knows about this acquisition. Actually, the reason is quite simple. Ben & Jerry’s wants to keep the image of a traditional, local brand, close to its consumers. The two founders, Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield embody the brand. People recognize them and associate them to the brand. When you eat a Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, you imagine that those two guys from Vermont made it. The brand feels real, genuine and friendly. Ben & Jerry’s is one of those brands that we love, like Nutella for example. And we have to admit that it is easier to get attached with two nice guys with their cows than to a multinational company. So, we can think that Ben & Jerry’s (but Unilever too) wants to cultivate this image of a friendly and eco-friendly brand which resemble its consumers.

Moreover, a lot of people assimilate multinational companies to perpetual race for money, unemployment due to relocation and environmental pollution. That’s why it would be difficult for some consumers to understand how a brand owned by one of the biggest consumer goods company in the World could promote fair trade and support to local communities.

To finish, when there is a problem with a brand, if consumers know that this brand is part of a group and know the other brands of the same group they could assimilate the image that they have of the brand to all the other brands of the group. In other words, the unpopularity of one brand can affect the other brands of the group when consumers know them. For Unilever in France it was the case when people where encouraged to boycott all of Unilever brands after the closure of one Lipton plant. That is why sometimes it could be beneficial for a brand to stay independent on people’s mind.

Today, the brand is increasingly popular and stays true to its values. Since 2012, Ben & Jerry’s is labeled by Max Havelaar making it the first 100% fair trade ice cream brand. This commitment allows the company to pay a guaranteed minimum price to small producers and to finance social projects of their community. Actually, Ben & Jerry’s works with more than 33,000 small producers.

To conclude, Ben & Jerry’s managed to be a profitable company while preserving its corporate identity and brand image. If you visit the French Facebook page of the company, you will notice that the Ben & Jerry’s fan community represents the impressive number of 7 883 211 people.